Everyone has their own list of favourite films, some only
have two or three, others have lists that rival IMDB’s top 250, so I thought I
would have a go at naming a top ten of mine, a number that gave me sort sort of wiggle room
to include a few more great films on this list and allowed me the opportunity to think
back about some films that I hadn’t seen in a while.
As with any list there has to be some rules and
this one is no exception, although I only laid down two concrete restrictions.
1. None could have been released since the start of
the year (So no The Dark Knight Rises
or Prometheus here).
2. Only one film from a director was allowed in, so
as to introduce more variety.
There will be a few in this list that won’t surprise and
some I hope will, there may even be a film you haven’t heard of or seen in
here. So with that, I hope you enjoy the list.
10. Twelve Angry Men (1957)
One of the most engrossing courtroom/jury films every made,
simply because it doesn’t rely on the revelations of the courtroom or the
manipulating words of lawyers. It relies solely on the individual personalities
and histories of the men in the jury room, who are all too ready to pronounce
the defendant guilty. But one member believes that they should at least talk
about it, even if he isn't complete convinced of his innocence. Over the course of the next ninety minutes, we see how these
variables play into their own fluid ideas about the defendant an how they have
affected their decision. Given that the film is set almost completely in the
jury room, Sydney Lumet and writer Reginald Rose ramp up the tension, both with
the case and the character dynamics, building it to a frantic revelatory
climax.
9. The Social Network (2010)
When a facebook film was announced, a lot of people assumed
it would be some kind of romantic comedy or drama based around the website, not
really anything worth giving a second look. The Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher
got involved and everything changed, we weren’t getting a film about how people
use facebook to meet and socialize, this was about the meteoric and painful
rise of the website and the betrayals that occurred during those initial years.
This film is driven by two greats of modern filmmaking, Sorkin and his rapid
dialogue and Fincher with his meticulously and beautifully shot visuals that
really help bring the world in which these men lived in and some of them
schemed in. Thankfully there isn’t a poke anywhere in this film, but it
certainly gets a big ‘like’ from me.
8. The Fountain (2006)
For a film about the acceptance of death this film left in a
good mood, I watched about a year after the death of my father and helped in a
way to “move on” as they say, it felt personal to me, like I am sure it does to
a lot of people who give it a chance, dealing with issues of accepting death
and not allowing the death of a loved one to consume your life. Director and
co-writer Darren Aronofsky gives each time period it’s own look, moving from the
time of Spanish inquisition to the far future and travelling through space. The Fountain is a film that asks a lot
of questions that don’t really get answers, but it’s more about ideas within the
film that makes it really interesting. It won’t be everyone’s kind of film,
that much is clear when you talk to anyone about it, it really is a love it or
hate it film, but which side you fall into, it’s 90 minutes that deserve you
attention.
7. LA Confidential (1997)
The first of three crime films in this list, this film
pretty much became an instant crime classic when it was released 15 years ago,
in which we follow three LAPD police officers as their separate paths bring
them together in a case involving corruption, prostitution and organized crime
all set in the 1950’s. Based on a mammoth novel by James Ellroy, the fact that
writers Curtis Hanson (also director) and Brian Helgeland were able to even get
the story to manageable length is an achievement in its self. But to then produce
an emotionally engaging piece as this is true cinematic accomplishment, backed
up by some unforgettable performances, specifically Russell Crowe and Guy
Pearce. This film set many standards for the genre, which most films still
struggle to reach.
6. The Secret In Their Eyes (2009)
Another crime film, but this time focusing on the impact of
an unsolved crime, caused by the system of the time, that being the mid 1970’s
in Argentina. Focusing on the investigation in a rape and murder of a woman, we
follow a department as they try to solve the case despite various interference
from outside influences, but it is the affect that it has on the people where
this film thrives, showing us the lengths that some people will go to, to get
revenge on another or the toll an event as significant as this can have on
people for the rest of their lives.
5. Barry Lyndon (1975)
Released between A
Clockwork Orange and The Shining,
Barry Lyndon is an often overlooked
Kubrick classic, focusing on rise and fall of Redmund Barry a poor Irishmen who
is tricked out of his home town by the influential and sent on his way out into
the wider world, where he fights in a war, turns spy and travels the world in
luxury. While is the plot is fairly easy to follow and doesn’t ask much of the
audience but to invest in these characters and their tragic stories, it is in
the visuals that this film stands out. Each shot looks like a classic painting,
shot widely, showing the viewer the splendour of the lives that these
characters live. Quite simply, every image in the film is a complete joy to
behold. Like other films in this list, it’s quite long, around three hours, but
with any Kubrick film, once you start watching it, the characters, visuals and
story hook you in and don’t let go of you.
4. Blade Runner (1982)
Which version you prefer is a really interesting topic,
especially given the varying ideas and answers that each version asks. But all
ask a central question, “What is it to be human?”, it is the question of all
great science fiction and is very important considering Blade Runner and it’s story. The main narrative follows a
detective, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), as he searches for four replicants who
have returned to earth, killing people as they did. But along the way we are
asked by director Ridley Scott and his writers many more interesting questions,
the above mentioned in the forefront, the others I won’t mention so as to not
spoil the film. The most recent Final Cut
offers the most complete visual version of the film, but to really understand
this film in all it’s complexities, it’s worth working your way through all
three cuts.
3. Heat (1995)
One of, if not the best heist film ever made and that is a
very high accolade to say of any film within that genre. Heat features some of the most engrossing and spectacular sequences
shot during the 1990’s, one a ten minute long bank robbery and the other a five
minute conversation between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. I had heard about the
heist from people but never truly thought it could live up to it, but as the
dust settled on downtown Los Angeles after it had finished, it was hard to
argue about just how close to perfect the sequence is.
But it’s not the action that defines this film, there
probably only four or five big moments in it’s two and a half plus hour run
time, it’s in it’s character development, especially the relationship and lives
of the two central characters, a detective and a professional criminal, Hanna
and McCauley (Pacino and De Niro) who are almost completely identical but at
the same time very different, and it is for this reason that the film is so
highly revered, it gives us the lives and motivations of the people we normally
don’t get to spend time with.
2. Magnolia (1999)
I was introduced to Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic drama as
part of a course presentation, I didn’t realise the run time when I chose it,
but three hours later I was so thankful I did. Giving us a snapshot into the
lives of about nine characters over the course of a day, each of who is
subjected to a painful life changing experience. While the plot is relatively
straight forward, something that often has to be the case for these ensemble
films, it’s the complexity of the relationships between the characters where Magnolia comes alive, with some career
best performances from most of the cast. The main theme of the film looks
closely at the randomness of life, demonstrated perfectly in the films
prologue, which is central to the unfolding stories, each one affecting the next.
As I have said before, this film is three hours long, but if you give it that
time, you will be deeply rewarded.
1. Memento (2000)
Christopher Nolan’s first film that didn’t have a budget
that equated to the price of a decent second hand car and arguably still one
of, if not his finest films and I am an avid fan of all his work. Following a
few days and nights in the life of amnesiac Leonard Shelby (played by Guy
Pearce) who is searching for his wife’s killer, but is only able to remember a
few minutes, before his mind wipes, unable to commit short-term memories to the
long term. Away from the more obvious plot of the film, Memento delves into ideas of subjective and objective information
and obviously, memories.
Unable to remember for himself Leonard has to rely on
facts that he has found and committed to writing down, even on himself, so that
he will be able to recall them later as he hunts for the man. As the film runs
it to tense beginning (for those of you unaware, the film runs backwards,
flicking through two different time frames, one forwards and the other
backwards, moving through time frame that Leonard remembers before he resets,
the film explains this better than I do, you begin to question what not just
Leonard remembers, but what he is happy to forget.
So there were go, my top ten. There are a few big omissions,
both in terms of films and directors, but I found this list harder to write
that I honestly thought it would be, and I ask anyone who reads this to do the
same, then write it down to give it a sense of permanence. Then come back in
five minutes and see if you still agree with your own decisions.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this and feel free to send
your comments or abuse in whichever way you feel most comfortable.
